trim the tops of the fennel, and cut each bulb in half lengthways, then cut each slice into 3 slices and lay them in a large shallow pan. Cover with the stock, and add 50g of the butter, the chopped garlic, 1 tbsp of fennel seeds, and a touch of salt and pepper. Cover the pan with baking parchment, with a hole the size of a 10p piece cut out of the centre. [Ed - I don't see why a loose tinfoil wouldn't do here, to be honest.] Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 25-30 mins, turning the fennel slices once, until most of the liquid has evaporated, and the fennel is tender.

meanwhile, preheat oven to 150C. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan until hot. Season the chops, and fry for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden. Drain the fat from the pan, then add the remaining butter, and cook the chops for a further miinute on each side.

transfer the chops to a rack over a baking tray, put them in the preheated oven to rest, and turn the oven off.

add the chopped red onion to the frying pan along with the last tbsp of fennel seeds, and 100ml of water (or vermouth, possibly). Cook for 3-4 minutes until the liquid has evaporated, and the onions are soft and starting to caramelise. (3-4 minutes? I doubt it ...) Add the parsley and season well.

finally add any juices that have esdcaped from the meat. Serve the pork, coated with the onion mixture, alongside the braised fennel.